Travis D'arby's Links

Americans are a forgiving people when it comes to our
celebrities. You can
kick the shit out of a woman then lend your name to a line of
top-selling headphones while hawking Dr. Pepper, Coors Light and
Chryslers on our TVs.

One of the benefits of aging is losing almost all
interest in appearing cool. But on one night every year, those
old high school insecurities return in full force. Silly as it
sounds, the dropping of a big red ball makes me feel like an
awkward teenager all over again.… Read full post »

While many fears are based upon irrational beliefs, my fear of
skiing was built upon dozens of falls and an inability to
stop. As a midwesterner, I went into the sport with a cocky
attitude. If people could ski down Aspen Mountain at over
100mph, how difficult could it possibly be… Read full post »

Only four women have been nominated for best director in the
eighty-two year history of the Academy Awards. Is this
sexism? At first glance it seems to be but a Google search
for best movies directed by women will show a paucity of classics
to be had. There is not a… Read full post »

When called upon to name my most underrated actor, several names
came to mind:
Don Cheadle, Greg Kinnear, Mark Strong and half the cast of
Lost to name but a few. Narrowing it down to one seemed
impossible. Why not make it a Top 10 list? Everybody loves those
right?

It is a cliche you hear spewed everywhere, from Oprah to the
pages of Cosmo. Even omissions are treated as lies by these
honesty junkies. But is an open, honest relationship in which you
share everything with your partner really such a good idea?

Even from the grave, Michael Jackson can still sell out. An
amazing
1.6 million fans registered in an online lottery for tickets to
attend today's morning memorial service at the Staples Center in
Los Angeles. Of those entrants, a lucky 8,750 were chosen to
receive a pair of tickets each. Despi… Read full post »

Like welfare queens and trickle down economics, political
correctness is the canard that keeps on giving. Fifteen years after
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories topped the New York
Times best-seller list, the American obsession with making fun of
political correctness continues unabated on websites… Read full post »

Homelessness is like homosexuality: it's not for everyone. But
for that ten percent of us who are wired just a little bit
differently, the freedom of living without a home can be just
another lifestyle choice.

Much like gays know they are different from a very early age, I
was well… Read full post »

Growing up, a friendless life seemed perfectly normal to me. My
own parents never socialized and neither did the Huxtables, Bradys
or Seavers on TV. Melodramatic after-school specials taught
me all about the dangers of peer pressure while Diff'rent
Strokes further hammered home the point… Read full post »

Surgeon, electrician, teacher: these are the jobs that generally
come to mind when we think of the world's most difficult
professions. Admittedly, performing open heart surgery, splicing a
cable and managing a classroom full of hormonally imbalanced
students (and teaching them something to boot) are… Read full post »

The former Tennessee Titan is the proud papa of eleven little
bundles of joy by ten different women. The star running back is
currently jailed for failing to pay his $17,000 a month child
support bills. He is also facing federal cocaine trafficking
charges. The… Read full post »

The issue of reparations for slavery is a divisive one in
America. While a 2002
opinion poll found that 67 percent of African-Americans
supported monetary reparations, only 4 percent of whites agreed. If
whites were to compensate African-Americans for their centuries of
servitude, how much woul… Read full post »

According to the latest
Gallup poll, ninety percent of Democrats approve of the job
Barack Obama is doing as president. This is a sad commentary on my
blue compatriots, who apparently feel we can now rest easy that the
Wicked Witch of Crawford, Texas is out of office.

While I consider Proposition 8 a step in the right direction, it
does not go nearly far enough. Why should we stop at only banning
gay marriage? We live in an allegedly secular nation with
separation of church and state yet our government gives tax breaks
and benefits to couples who… Read full post »

In the 1950s, while out on the town in Miami Beach, Frank
Sinatra wandered into Murray Franklin's nightclub. Upon seeing The
Chairman of the Board, the unknown comedian up on stage ad
libbed: "Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody!"